VMware UK boss quits 'suddenly' – sources

Wants to lead a 'Phull-er' life

VMware’s UK boss has insisted it was his decision to quit Virtzilla to pursue pastures new and spend more time with his young family.

David Phull left VMware on Friday, but sources claimed he had meetings still booked in his diary and that his exit seemed abrupt, with no permanent replacement lined up.

A spokeswoman at the company told us Phull had left to “pursue new endeavours and spend more time with his family after 27 years in the industry”.

“We are grateful for his contribution to VMware,” the statement added, “and wish his all the best for the future”.

Taking time off to spend with the family is often seen as a euphemism for being asked to leave. In the case of Phull, company insiders said that his sales figures were looking healthy and seemed unsure why he left.

Phull, who was poached from SAP in January 2016 where he was "director of industries" and a UK board member, said his departure “wasn’t too sudden, I had discussed it for a while. No big drama”.

“I had always said I would do two years in the role. I have been working for 27 years and just wanted to spend some time with my family before I decided what to do next.”

He told The Register via a message on LinkedIn that he was “missing out too much on my young children’s live[s] and the work life balance had gone a bit”.

World + dog knows how that feels.

If VMware was aware of Phull’s plan to leave, it hasn’t got a permanent successor lined up - northern European veep David Parry-Jones has taken control of UK ops on an interim basis.